The present invention relates to a locking device for preventing an unintentional opening of a cover of a battery inserting hole in a small electronic apparatus using a battery, such as a radio paging receiver and a remote control box.
Since a battery cover of a small electronic apparatus such as a radio paging receiver may be opened unintentionally by a hand touching, such a small electronic apparatus is usually provided with a locking device that makes it possible to open the battery cover only by applying an intentional force.
Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a conventional locking device is described in detail as follows.
A cover groove 41 is formed on a bottom side of a main case 40, and one side of the cover groove comprises a battery inserting hole 42. A support plate 44 is formed on a side of the battery inserting hole 42 and has a guide groove 45 in its center portion. A guide rib 46 is formed on a side wall of the battery inserting hole 42. A cover 50 is shorter than the cover groove 41 by a given length and has a groove 51 extended to a horizontal direction on both sides. An opening is formed on a side of the cover 50 receiving a locker 60 having a hinge 61 on its side, of which hinge 61 is assembled with the cover 50. The locker 60 has a projection on both sides of its bottom side and a projection to be engaged with a fore end 45A of the guide groove 45.
At the time of closing the cover 50, a fore end 60B of the locker 60 is laid on a projection 53 of the cover wall because a rear end 60A of the locker 60 is contacted with the support plate 44. By pushing the cover 50 to the battery inserting hole 42, the cover 50 covers the inserting hole 42. Because the guide rib 46 is engaged with the groove 51 of the cover 50 and a projection 55 of fore end of the cover is engaged with a groove 48 of the main housing 40, the cover is not derailed. By pressing the fore end 60B of the locker 60 to a direction of the arrow in FIG. 1B, the locker 60 is rotated so as to contact its projection rib 65 with a wall 45A of the support plate 44 and prevent the cover 50 from being pushed backward. And the fore end of the locker 60 is not moved over a projection 53 without applying an external force. Finally the cover is locked completely.
When the cover 50 is opened for replacing a battery, the locker 60 is rotated counterclockwise, about the hinge 61, and the projection ridge 65 is slid over the support plate 44 by pressing the rear end 60A of the locker 60 downward. By sliding the cover 50 backward, the guide rib 46 of the side wall is disengaged with the groove 51 and the projection 55 is disengaged with the groove 48 of the main housing 40. Thereafter, the cover 50 is removed freely.
In such a conventional device, there occurs a case that the cover is apt to be lost frequently because the cover is removed completely for replacing a battery. Also, because it is very difficult to assemble the locker 60 with the cover 50, it results in an inefficiency of assembling. In addition, a seesaw motion of the locker 60 at the hinge 61 results in damaging the projection 53 for stopping the locker.